Israel Singer

Israel Singer (born 29 July 1942 in New York City) was secretary general of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) from 1986 to 2001.

Life

Singer grew up in Brooklyn, the son of Austrian refugees. He taught political science and political theories in New York and at the Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

In 1987, WJC leaders Israel Singer and Elan Steinberg warned, referring to Kurt Waldheim, "... Austrians that if they elected a former Nazi as president they would experience six difficult years."^[1]

In 1996, the Reuters news agency reported that at a meeting of the WJC congress in Buenos Aires, Singer said "more than three million Jews died in Poland and the Polish people are not going to be the heirs of the Polish Jews. We are never going to allow this.... They're gonna hear from us until Poland freezes over again. If Poland does not satisfy Jewish claims it will be publicly attacked and humiliated."^[2]

Singer has been an activist and advocate on behalf of the victims of the Holocaust. As chairman of the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), he managed efforts to compensate Holocaust survivors monetarily. He also negotiated with Germany and Austria about annuities and compensation for survivors.

In October 2001, he was appointed chairman of the Governing Board of the World Jewish Congress (WJC). In 2002 he was elected president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, the "Claims Conference". In June 2002 he was appointed chairman of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC).

Israel Singer is a co-founder of Yahad-In Unum, an organization founded by priest Patrick Desbois dedicated to research on the "Holocaust by bullets".^[3]

On January 31, 2006, Executives of the World Jewish Congress signed an Assurance of Discontinuance with the New York State Attorney General, ^[4] because of years of misappropriation of funds of the WJC. ^[5] The following year, Singer was terminated by the President of the WJC because of the years of misappropriation of funds of the WJC. ^[6][7] The audit reveals mismanagement involving several million dollars.^[8]

On March 14, 2007 Singer was relieved by the President of the WJC Edgar M. Bronfman its offices because of the years of misappropriation of funds of the WJC.^[9][10] The audit reveals mismanagement involving several million dollars.^[11]

Books

• Norman G. Finkelstein (2003). The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering. Verso. ISBN 978-1859844885.
• Levin, Itamar; Natasha Dornberg (translator); forewords by Edgar Bronfman, Israel Singer, and Avraham Burg (1999). The last deposit: Swiss banks and Holocaust victims' accounts. Westport, Conn.: Praeger. ISBN 978-0275965204.
• Gregg J. Rickman (1999). Swiss Banks and Jewish Souls. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-1560004264.

Notes

1. "The Waldheim Affair". American Jewish Committee. January 10, 1990. Retrieved January 23, 2013. Book review of Austria and the Legacy of the Holocaust by Robert S. Wistrich.
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20110719115337/http://zaprasza.net/a_y.php?mid=21357. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. "Holocaust by Bullets". Archived from the original on January 2, 2014.
4. http://www.ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/press-releases/archived/WJC%20AOD%2001-31-2006.pdf
5. http://www.ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/press-releases/archived/WJC%20AOD%2001-31-2006.pdf
6. Neue Zürcher Zeitung|NZZ: Singer wird von Bronfman in die Wüste geschickt
7. swissinfo: Archive copy at the Wayback Machine
8. Israel Singer fired from WJC for Allegedly Embezzling Funds Haaretz, 5 Mai 2014
9. Neue Zürcher Zeitung|NZZ: Singer wird von Bronfman in die Wüste geschickt
10. swissinfo: Archive copy at the Wayback Machine
11. Israel Singer fired from WJC for Allegedly Embezzling Funds Haaretz, 5 Mai 2014

External links

• Yad Vashem Interview
• 2003 "Restitution: The Second Round: An Interview with Israel Singer" Check |url= value (help). Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. November 2, 2003. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
• Webcast about Iran "World Jewish Congress & Iran" Check |url= value (help). isracast.com. February 10, 2006. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
• Amiram Barkat (March 22, 2007). "Israel Singer fired from WJC for Allegedly Embezzling Funds". Haaretz. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
• Stephanie Strom (March 16, 2007). "World Jewish Congress Dismisses Leader". The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
• "Q&A with WJC Chairman Israel Singer". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 3 April 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2014.